Thousands flee potent Katrina
2005-09-02 14:40
Miami - Thousands of people fled New Orleans and other low-lying parts of Louisiana early on Sunday as Hurricane Katrina gained strength again as it churned toward the US Gulf of Mexico coast.
Katrina has already been blamed for seven deaths after it slammed ashore late on Thursday in southern Florida, flooding entire neighborhoods, uprooting trees, sending a highway overpass crashing down and leaving more than a million people without electricity.
The National Hurricane Center said that about 05:15 GMT, a US Air Force plane flying over the eye of the hurricane detected maximum sustained winds reaching 233km/h, which makes Katrina a category four storm.
The designation brings Katrina close to killer status as the Saffir-Simpson scale used to measure them has only five grades.
"Some additional strengthening is possible today," the center warned in its latest advisory. "Preparations to protect life and property should be pushed to completion."
At 06:00 GMT, the centre of the storm was about 500km southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with forecasters predicting it would hit southeastern New Orleans by midday Monday.
Hurricane warnings were in effect along the Louisiana coast.
President George W Bush issued a state of emergency in Louisiana, clearing the way for federal aid to those affected. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco ordered mandatory evacuations of low-lying areas.
Traffic was already backing up on many highways leading away from the coast, and authorities warned residents not to wait until the last minute to find shelter.
"We want you to take this very seriously," New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin said.
"This not a test. This is the real deal. And I don't want to panic you but I wanted to make sure you understand that there is a major hurricane that is in the Gulf of Mexico."
Nagin said authorities were preparing to order an evacuation of all 485 000 residents of the low-lying city by early on Sunday, and were planning to open the massive Superdome sports stadium as an emergency shelter for those who cannot get out.
About 1.3 million people live in the greater New Orleans area.
Twenty-one oil rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico had already been evacuated in anticipation of the hurricane, fueling concerns over oil prices, which already soared to record highs on Thursday.